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State Trust Land Transfer Parcels
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Status |
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Protection Pending
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Location |
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12 parcels, Whidbey Island
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Acreage |
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575 acres
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Public Benefits |
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Public Benefits Mature forest, shoreline and riparian habitat, protection of water quality, passive public recreation, fish and wildlife habitat |
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Description |
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Thanks to a long and concerted effort by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and Island County residents who lobbied state legislators over the past four years, over 500 acres of state school trust forest lands and over 3,700 feet of waterfront on Whidbey Island are approved for transfer from state to county ownership under the Trust Land Transfer (TLT) program. Five of the properties will be transferred by June 30, 2007, after which they will be managed for local conservation and/or recreation purposes. The remaining seven properties will be transferred, if adequate funds are available, by June 30, 2009. Some of the transfers will be under a 50-year lease with the Washington Department of Natural Resources. These school trust properties include some of the best undeveloped forested and waterfront land remaining on Whidbey Island, including 200 forested acres at the headwaters of Maxwelton Creek and mature forest lands near Langley, Cultus Bay and Double Bluff. More information about the Trust Land Transfer program is provided below.
Click here to view a list of Island County Trust lands scheduled for transfers.
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Directions |
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To be announced upon project completion.
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PROJECT STORY
State Transfer to Save Forest Lands and Increase Public Shoreline Access |
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For over four years, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust has been spearheading efforts to transfer all the remaining state school trust lands in Island County to a permanent protected status. The Trust Land Transfer (TLT) Program is an innovative way to transfer, at no cost, state lands with special values to local or state agencies which then protect them for park, open space and/or wildlife values. The dollars expended yield triple benefits - as explained below. The state’s school children benefit and so do residents.
The (TLT) program allows the legislature to transfer state school lands with special values to local or state governments, which then protect the lands as parks, natural areas or wildlife habitat. In 1989, a bipartisan group of state leaders initiated the TLT program as an innovative approach to school construction funding with multiple benefits. The program helps address the urgent need for school construction, protects Washington’s natural heritage, and results in upgrading school trust assets to generate long-term revenue for school construction.
The twelve school trust properties to be transferred in Island County include nine South Whidbey forest properties, 1 Central Whidbey agricultural property, and two waterfront parcels. All twelve were added to the transfer list thanks to active lobbying by the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, calls and emails from islanders, and support from the Island County Commissioners and local state legislators. Included are 200-acres of mature forest land containing trails at the headwaters of Maxwelton Creek, one of only three salmon streams in Island County. This property will be transferred to the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District no later than June 30, 2007. The other eleven properties will be transferred to Island County by June 30, 2009. Included is waterfront property in Central Whidbey that provides critical habitat for fish and wildlife and includes 11 acres of mature forest and more than 1,300 feet of shoreline. Another parcel contains waterfront bluff and excellent wildlife habitat above Strawberry Point on North Whidbey.
To date, more than 3,400 acres in Island County have been transferred to protected status under this program, including large acreages that are now part of Fort Ebey, South Whidbey and Deception Pass State Parks.
 TLT Program Overview
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